India tightens rules for foreign workers

The Indian government has ordered to leave the country to all foreign workers who hold a business visa to be interchanged for one job to return to India, told today diplomatic and business sources.
The tightening of the visa regime aims to encourage hiring of local staff and is also based on security reasons, according to diplomatic sources consulted by Efe.
"They want more control over who is working and where for security reasons and to promote the employment of Indian," explained the source, who requested anonymity.
In late September, the Indian government through diplomatic channels reported the entry into force on the 30th of this month of the new legislation, which prevents the stay in the country to foreigners who are running a project or work in possession of visas for business .

The authorities agreed to extend the deadline until Oct. 31 to provide the affected visa formalities to swap jobs in their countries of origin.
In an explanatory letter, the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that "employment visa applications for jobs for which there are a large number of available qualified Indians not be taken into consideration."This new measure will affect all countries but have a particular impact on China, a State which has thousands of employees in various projects in India, the newspaper "The Times of India".
Some 3,000 Chinese citizens have already applied for commutation of their visas, according to Interior Ministry data.
"We have many unskilled or semi-skilled in the country. However, if for a specific qualification or high so we will consider (the granting of visas to foreigners) but only until the project is assembled," abounded few days ago, Interior Minister P. Chidamber, quoted by The Times of India ".
The measure "disturbs us in the sense that we have to send our staff to Spain" to the proceedings, told Efe the head of Administration in Asia Spanish group of electrical Cobra, Mark Brasa.
The businessman explained that the entry into force of the legislation have been taken by surprise and for six of its employees.According Brasa, so far its workers came to India with a business visa temporarily and once confirmed that they would remain in the country, were converted to an employment visa.
For general manager in India of the Spanish infrastructure company Isolux-Corse, Mario Pastinante, there is nothing surprising about the new rules because, Efe said, "no country in which to work with a business visa."Companies will have to review and restructure their programs to meet visa requirements," said executive director of the PricewaterhouseCoopers audit, Kuldeep Kumar, economic quoted as saying "Financial Express".
The Spanish embassy does not interpret the new measure, which the Indian press will affect some 70,000 expatriates, as a barrier designed to complicate the entry of EU citizens.
"They are entitled to ask for the correct visa. I see this as an attack at the entrance of foreigners," he told EFE Spanish diplomatic source, who said that from now on will need to prove to the Indian legations why that is wants to hire a foreigner.
According to the embassy, employment visas were being granted for long periods, although the source could not say whether a document expiration time may be renewed at the Foreigners' Office in New Delhi and will be back again to Spain. On day 9, the Spanish embassy sent a circular to companies based in India alerting the rule change and advised them to go to the Foreigners Registration Office (FRRO) to learn of your situation.
According to the note, the FRRO has been instructed to meet foreigners who seek advice, a procedure that these days will be a bit more complicated in the office always collapsed on foreigners since India is in full season of festivals and buildings Officers closed their doors to celebrate the dates mentioned in the Hindu calendar.